ROCKFORD — Rockford Christian’s Lydia Reinhardt was in a self-proclaimed “slump” in the 100-yard butterfly last year as a freshman.

So much so that she wasn’t even swimming the event by the end of the season.

Though now only a sophomore, consider her officially out of the slump.

“She had a great freshman year, just not in her favorite event,” Rockford Christian head coach Kurt Ekberg said. “But we started shifting her back in there in (the offseason), and she’s really come on strong ever since.”

While Reinhardt didn’t sneak up on anybody, especially Ekberg — “I had been watching her since sixth grade; I remember asking a coach: ‘Who is that girl’” — she is still making a splash this season. She isn’t undefeated, and her team has struggled to gather enough points for dual victories, but she now has the fastest time in the area in the 100 fly.

“Last year I wasn’t even on the grid. I hope I am now,” Reinhardt said. “I still have a lot of work to do, and I still have people to catch. But I really didn’t starting thinking about big things like winning conference or getting to state until now. Now, I’m setting my goals high.”

Her toughest competition in the area, ever since she could remember, has been Belvidere’s Olivia Cacciatore and Abby Hawkes, who along with Boylan’s Abby Olson, are the only area swimmers to beat her in the butterfly over the last month. Cacciatore is the reigning NIC-10 champ in the event, and Olson and Hawkes have spent at least two full seasons working their way up the ladder.

However, none of them have beaten Reinhardt’s season-best time of 59.83. Cacciatore has a 59.94 and Hawkes has a 1:01.10 this season, and both are now chasing the sophomore.

“I love the competition we have around here. There are a lot of great swimmers in the butterfly, and a lot of them are from my club team so we’ve been going at it for a long time,” Reinhardt said. “I know what they can do, and I know what I need to do. At least it’s all right there for me to see.”

The postseason will kick off with the Northern Illinois Invitational on Nov. 2, followed by two weeks to prep for sectionals. Reinhardt and the rest of the RC swimmers will see how things unfold after they taper their workouts for the back stretch.

Page 2 of 2 - One thing’s for sure: Reinhardt’s slump is a thing of the past.

“I’ve just kind of kept plugging along, and here I am,” she said. “I feel like the hard work is paying off, and I’m ready to see what I’ve got. I better be.”